Mykolaiv plans to increase its budget by 10 million. The main areas that need support are education and social protection.
The decision was made during a meeting of the budget committee of the Mykolaiv City Council.
The city budget of Mykolaiv for 2024 is planned to be increased at the expense of state subventions. The funds will be used for the development of education, social support and catering for primary school students.
Vira Svyatelyk, director of the city council's finance department, noted that UAH 10 million 184 thousand is planned to be spent on the implementation of the New Ukrainian School program. These funds will be used to purchase equipment for science and math classrooms, multimedia and furniture for schools.
UAH 756,000 is allocated for social protection, and UAH 632,000 for catering for primary school students.
According to Hanna Lychko, head of the City Council's Education Department, the amount of money currently available for food will only last for three days. She expressed hope that funding will be increased in the near future, which will allow for free meals for students in grades 1-4.
The introduction of meals for elementary school students has recently begun. The program states that meals are provided only to the privileged category. Currently, meals for privileged categories are being removed and meals for primary school students are being introduced.
At the same time, the state has reduced the subvention for the purchase of equipment and modernization of canteens in schools. This amount decreased by UAH 1 million 681 thousand.
The proposed recommendations will be considered at the next session of the Mykolaiv City Council.
In addition, Mykolaiv educational institutions are planning to create inclusive groups and ensure the safety of education. The measures envisaged by the education program will be funded by a state subvention.
Vacations in safe regions of Ukraine are planned for young residents of vulnerable social categories. The cost of a day's vacation for children is UAH 1,381. Lviv and Zakarpattia regions will host the children.
In addition, Mykolaiv region has prepared to ensure the smooth operation of educational institutions during the heating season. More than UAH 35 million has been allocated from the budget for winterization and installation of power sources.
Currently, educational institutions in the region are provided with 782 autonomous power sources of various capacities and 80 Tesla energy-saving systems that are ready to use in the event of a power outage. In addition, 43 Tesla systems and 156 generators have been installed in regional institutions.
Анна Бальчінос